Selling
How to photograph clothes to sell
Shoot in daylight, next to a window, with the flash off, on the same plain background every time. Five photos are enough: the whole item, the item worn or in use, the brand label, the size and fabric label, and any flaw up close. Light does most of the work, and it costs nothing.
Why does light matter more than the camera?
One rule is worth all the others: photograph by day, near a window, without flash. Daylight keeps colours true, which saves you returns for "not the colour in the photos". Flash flattens texture, adds glare and turns blacks grey.
Avoid direct sun, which throws hard shadows. An overcast sky is the best light you can get: soft, even and shadow-free. In much of Europe, that covers a lot of autumn and winter days.
What background should you use?
A white wall, a plain sheet, a light wooden floor. The background should say nothing at all. A jumper photographed on a cluttered sofa, an unmade bed or a patterned carpet looks cheaper at once.
Using the same background every time has a second effect people forget: your listings become recognisable. A buyer who sees three of your items in a row starts to recognise a careful seller, and that weighs on the decision.
How many photos, and which ones?
Five are enough, and each one answers a question the buyer has:
- The whole item laid flat, framed tight, nothing cut off.
- Worn, or in use, to show scale and how it hangs.
- The brand label, sharp and readable: it is what authenticates the piece.
- The size and fabric label.
- The flaw, if there is one, close up.
Should you show the flaws?
Yes. It sounds backwards, but it is one of the few points experienced resellers agree on. A mark photographed close up and named in the description:
- filters out the buyers who would have asked for a return;
- cuts the back-and-forth of questions before purchase;
- protects your reviews, which are worth more than a euro or two on one item;
- makes all your other listings more believable.
A seller who shows a flaw is a seller people believe when they write "very good condition" on the next item.
Which mistakes cost sales?
- The full-length shot with a tiny item in the middle. Frame tight: in a grid of results, your thumbnail is the size of a stamp.
- A creased garment. Thirty seconds with an iron is worth more than it costs.
- Wire hangers, which pull the shoulders out of shape.
- Evening photos under a yellow bulb, which turn cream into beige and grey into brown.
- A mirror selfie with you in it, or a reflection you did not notice.
A routine, not an effort
Photographing one item at a time, whenever you get round to it, takes far longer than doing a batch. Set the background up once, shoot twenty pieces in a row, and you get down to about a minute an item.
A good photo works twice: it convinces the buyer, and it gives a better estimate. resellflip reads your photos to identify the brand, the category and the condition before it gives you a price range, so better light also means a more precise result.
A tool for this: From your photos to a listing ready to paste
The tool
Try resellflip on one item
From one photo: a price range, and the net profit you would keep before you buy. Listings are written for you on a paid plan. No card needed.